Well I have been trying to figure out how to title this and write it. Let me start out by saying, yep I got careless and it took less than a glance away or a split second.
This started 10 ten days before my act. My wife went to the beef barn and when she walked through the open sliding doors a skunk sprayed. She received a slight indirect hit on her right shoulder. Trust me when she walked in the house she was sent to the deck. LOL. Seriously I thought this was funny. Karma right.

. This is where it all went wrong.

I was placing the cap back on the needled and looked down and (poked my ring finger with the needle. . I went to bathroom, washed with warm soapy water then rinsed it with alcohol. I proceeded to fire up the computer and send a message to The Beav. Since I have reentered trapping I have asked Beav for advice and he has always helped. He told me "this is serious and you need to contact your doctor as soon as you can".

To say the least I was anxious. Friday morning I called my doctors office, had to wait for a return call. Told the nurse what had happened she spoke to the doctor and they had to call me back. In the mean time I get a call from the county health department where I doctor. Then I had to call my county health department where I live and the incident happened and my vet. I get the call back, have to leave work, take the skunk to the vet, get the head taken off and sent to Madison before 12:00. Now I have to wait until Monday since it is Friday afternoon.

Monday comes no call, this is in the back of my head all along and more than a little concerned. Tuesday at 9:30 am the vet clinic calls and says not sure when you will get this call so we thought we would let you know, the skunk is (NEGATIVE) for rabies. Whew! Called the wife texted the kids, told the office people. Thank the good Lord!
I also sent The Beav a message. His last one back to me I thought I was hearing from my Dad. He messaged me: "Be more careful next time!" The good news no rabies, and a reminder to all of us be careful. Thanks Beav

good news for sure

Yup cut myself splitting a skunk tail a couple years ago. I have a splitter but it was in my fur room in the basement and the wife wont let me skin skunks in the house. Anyhow I said to myself I can split this with my skinning knife just don't cut yourself. Yup two seconds later. Same run, call dr. county health, and vet then send head and wait anxiously.

Glad you are ok. We all need a reminder sometimes thanks for posting this.

Was skinning a coyote and got a lil aggressive, a spurt of blood hit me in the eye so good I winced and blindly stumbled to the spigot. Hands were covered in blood and grease already. I thought about that for days after. Only thing is now I want my belly scratched and hump the mail lady’s leg. But she’s a good sport and comes back every day.

Had an experience last year myself. Do yourself a favor if you plan on trapping for many years, just go get vaccinated for it. I had a hard time getting answers on what to do and by the time I did it was 7 days later and they told me to just go get the post exposure shots. The 1 shot alone was around $8000.
Then I had to get a series of 4 of the regular vaccine shots at $300 a pop.
Could have saved myself alot of money if I would have just been vaccinated. Getting vaccinated is a round of 3 shots. If exposed again I was told you just need a booster.

I got the pre exposure shots. A series of three. Cost $ 300. My health insurance covered it. Have since been bitten by a fox. Just needed a booster shot. Pre exposure shots protect you from the exposure that you did not know you had.

I was dealing with three coons ...caged separately. When I was done I had a cut on my wrist and coon blood on the area. I called the Clinic later that night and Talked to the On call Nurse. She said you'd better get in here for Rabies shots .
I told her there were no recent rabies cases in our region. The Nurse said well then its 50-50 that you're gonna love or die. LOL!

The next day I started the shots.... they aren't bad .

I use to think I was a wolf, but I'm alright nooooooooooowwwww!!!

Great news for sure.
Yup that wait over the weekend is a very long weekend. Got bit by a gray fox either on a Friday afternoon or Saturday morning. I didn't get called back until Tuesday. Wardens sent me to the county hospital where they refused to do rabies exposure shots without a confirmation but they updated my other shots like tetanus. Tyne nurses were laughing at the story with me

When I last looked into it, my insurance didn't cover pre-exposure, and it was between 3 and 4 k for the pre-exposure, but they did cover post-exposure (half that amount). Guess they didn't believe in getting ahead of the game.

I deal with animals every day for work plus when I trap in fall.
I don’t see the advantage of pre exposure at all. You still have to get a shot
If something happens . Why not get them at once and you don’t have to worry
About any side effects unless something happens that warrants a rabies shot.

How many people die from rabies each year in the USA? How many people are treated for rabies each year in the USA? I think I am safer skinin yotes and cats than I would be walking down a street in Chicago, Portland, New York, St Louis, Miniapolis, etc at night at this point!

glad you don't have rabies

a friends daughter just went through the treatment this summer. she got bit by a bat

Glad to hear.
Would make me nervous for sure but I think it would be unlikely to transmit rabies through a needle poke though wouldn’t it?

The WTA did a rabies test awhile back. WE trapped and picked up about a about 100 road killed skunks and had all of them tested. If I remember right about 40% tested positive for rabies. This Isn't something to take for granted. Get checked.


Bear Tracker did the right thing why take a chance.

Oh I agree he did the right thing. I’m just saying saliva in a cut or on a needle would be more likely to infect you than the actual blood from an infected animal. Maybe I’m wrong.

I got bit through the glove 6 weeks ago by a bat. I had 15 bats in one room and trying to get them contained I have no idea which one got me. My titers was low 4 years when tested when I had close call from a rabied skunk, so the doc told me go get a booster, Nope they gave me the whole series.

Things sure have changed. DECADES AGO !! I got bit by a Bat on the right side of my head. Showed my Mother and Brother what happened.. Mom's response was ' OH, IT'S JUST A LITTLE BLOOD. HERE'S A BANDAID AND A BOTTLE OF PEROXIDE! "

The Family still reminds Mom about that, after all these years !!!

Rabies is not transmitted through blood contact. Saliva or brain/spinal fluid is how it is transmitted. When I skin animals I always have cracks or cuts on my hands and don’t worry about it much until I get down around the mouth. I usually put a finger in the corner of the jaw to pull down past the nose. Kind of worries me doing that.

I would have probably done the same thing Bear did just to be safe.